Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis made a blunt and unexpected shot at Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump over the former president’s running mate shortlist.
DeSantis said he would not accept being Trump’s running mate — and cautioned that Trump could use “identity politics” to pick his running mate if he clinches the 2024 GOP nomination.
DeSantis reportedly told 200 supporters during a phone call Wednesday that diversity alone cannot drive the critical decision.
“Now we have a diverse Republican Party. I want everybody in the fold, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t want people representing 10, 15% of the party being in the driver’s seat,” he told supporters.
“I would want somebody that, if something happened, the people that voted us in would have been pleased to know that they’re going to continue the mission,” he added.
Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt shot back at DeSantis on Thursday.
“Ron DeSantis failed miserably in his presidential campaign and does not have a voice in selecting the next vice president of the United States. Rather than throw cheap shots from afar, Ron should focus on what he can do to fire [President] Joe Biden and Make America Great Again,” Leavitt said.
The former presidential candidate shared other striking criticisms of the Trump campaign during the call with supporters.
DeSantis partly blamed ousted ex-advisors of his for fueling Trump’s past primary attacks: “I think he’s got people in his inner circle who were part of our orbit years ago that we fired, and I think some of that is they just have an ax to grind.”
DeSantis also voiced concerns around Trump potentially packing his inner circle with kiss-ups.
“I think that how he staffs the White House, how he staffs the administration, will be really, really significant. I think he likely is going to find people that are going to be more kind of yes men, rather than folks that are going to be pushing back,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis even went after conservative media outlets like The Horn News, stating: “He said at some point he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose a vote. Well, I think he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and the conservative media wouldn’t even report … that it had happened.”
While firmly ruling out interest as VP, DeSantis acknowledged he could run again in the 2028 presidential election.
DeSantis formally endorsed Trump after abandoning his own Republican presidential primary bid.
The Horn editorial team